Rhaphiolepis delacourii `Georgia Petite`

ABSTRACT

This new plant is a distinct variety of Rhaphiolepisxdelacourii Andre that is characterized by its dwarf habit, its cold tolerance and its resistance to Entomosporium leafspot.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The plant of this invention is an ornamental evergreen dwarf floweringshrub which is resistant to Entomosporium leafspot and is fairly coldhardy in comparison with other plants within the botanical and marketclasses.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Rhaphiolepis is a genus of the Rosaceae family containing severalspecies of evergreen shrubs that originated in China and Japan. They areconsidered well adapted for garden and landscape use in mild climateregions, and they are particularly well-suited to coastal areas, due totheir tolerance to salt spray, drought and sandy soils.

The hybrid Rhaphiolepis taxa, R.×delacourii, was first reported andgrown in the late nineteenth century by Delacour, gardener in Cannes,France. This hybrid selection shows moderate resistance to leaf spot andcold damage, while plant characters are intermedite between the parentspecies, R. indica and R. umbellata. Rhaphiolepis umbellata (sometimesreferred to as Rhaphiolepis japonica or Rhaphiolepis ovata), commonlyknown as Yeddo Hawthorn, is native to Japan and the Ryukyu islands. Itis typically a rounded shrub that can reach a maxiumu height of about 12feet (The New York Botanical Garden Illustrated Encyclopedia ofHorticulture, Thomas H. Everett, Garland Publishing, Inc. 1992, pp.2885-2886).

Rhaphiolepis umbellata is used in the landscapes as an intermediatesized shrub. It is attractive because it blooms profusely in thespringtime with white to pink flowers and because dark-blue to blackfruits form in the summer and persist throughout the fall and winter.Regarding its size, it is typically reported as "unpredictable," withreports ranging from the 12 feet as reported above, to "4-6 feet, spread6 feet" (in "Landscape Plants of the Southeast," R. Gordon Halfacre andAnne R. Shawcroft, Sparks Press 1979, p. 128), to "1-4 m" (in "The NewRoyal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening," Anthony Huxley,Editor-in-Chief, The MacMillan Press Limited, 1992; p. 24) to "1.2 m"(in "The Hillier Manual of Trees & Shrubs, Sixth Edition," David &Charles, 1992, p. 356). Due to this documented variability in size,there has been a need to develop a new cultivar with a more compacthabit for use in certain landscape settings. Additionally, there is aneed to develop a landscape plant well-adapted to United StatesDepartment of Agriculture (USDA) Hardiness Zone 7b and whichdemonstrates resistance to leaf spot disease that has become a seriousproblem on this species.

ORIGIN OF THE INVENTION

`Georgia Petite` was developed from an organized, scientificallydesigned breeding program conducted at the University of GeorgiaExperiment Station at Griffin, Ga. `Georgia Petite` originated from aseedling population of a cross of Plant Introduction selectionRhaphiolepis umbellata PI277653 and Rhaphiolepis umbellata `Ovata.` ThePI parent (currently available in the trade as `Eskimo`) has plantcharacters atypical of R. umbellata, being an apparent hybrid of R.umbellata and R. indica, consequently this accession more appropriatelyfits the description of Rhaphiolepis×delacourii. The two parents werechosen following a six-year study of twenty cultivars which wereevaluated for cold tolerance and resistance to Entomosporium maculatumleafspot. These two parents were ranked the best in these twocategories. Approximately 2,000 seedlings from thecross were grown insimulated nursery and landscape conditions and then evaluated forsuperiority in the desired characteristics of compact growth habit, coldtolerance, and leaf spot resistance. The first act of asexualreproduction of `Georgia Petite` occurred in 1983 using semi-hardwoodcuttings. Propagation has been successful (75 to 90 percent) usingsemi-hardwood cuttings taken during June to August. Cuttings were stuckin a well-drained medium under intermittent mist after a quick dip of10,000 ppm IBA. Seeds are viable, but vegetative propagation isessential to maintain the characteristics true to the cultivar.

Plants are presently being propagated by four Georgia nurserypropagators who were selected and licensed by the Georgia SeedDevelopment Commission, Georgia Department of Agriculture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises a new and distinct plant cultivar ofRhaphiolepis×delacourii Andre, which has been given the cultivar name`Georgia Petite`.

The following are the most pronounced characteristics of this newcultivar when grown in the Georgia piedmont under low maintenancelandscape conditions:

1. Very compact and mounding in nature. The plant is slightly wider thantall (2.5 feet×3.3 feet).

2. Moderately slow growth rate, self-shaping, requiring little pruning.

3. Cold hardy through USDA Zone 7b.

4. High resistance to leaf spot.

5. Relatively pest resistant.

6. Adapted to a wide range of soil types.

7. Mature leaves are dark green with light green undersides, obovateshape, serrate margins, and rounded apex.

8. Flowers are single, light pink at opening, fading to white atmaturity.

9. Clusters of bluish-black fruits, one centimeter in diameter, persistfrom summer into winter.

10. Compactness of the plant obscures fruits borne by the precociousblooming traits.

11. Good plant for foundation plantings, informal beds, low hedges,ground cover and wildlife habitat.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC DRAWINGS

The file of this patent contains at least one drawing executed in color.Copies of this patent with color drawing(s) will be provided by thePatent and Trademark Office upon request and payment of the proper fee.

The accompanying photographic prints illustrate this new cultivar ofRhaphiolepis×delacourii:

FIG. 1 illustrates the low stature of the plant relative to a yardstick.

FIG. 2 illustrates the color and shape of the flowers and leaves of theplant in greater detail.

Colors shown are reasonably accurate by conventional photographicprocedures. Colors of various plant parts are defined using The RoyalHorticultural Society (R.H.S.) Colour Chart for standardization.Description of some colors in less exacting terms are used whereappropriate for clarity in meaning.

BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT

`Georgia Petite` is a new and distinct plant cultivar ofRhaphiolepis×delacourii Andre. Distinctive characeristics of cultivarssimilar to `Georgia Petite` are presented in the following table:

    ______________________________________                                  Win-  Leaf-                                  ter   spot    Species/           Leaf     Leaf    Flower                                  Hardi-                                        Resis-                                              Plant Size    Cultivar           Shape    Size    Color ness* tance**                                              Ht. × Spd.    ______________________________________    R. indica           Un-      Vari-   Pink  8b    Poor  Variable    Indian dulating able          (15° F.)    Hawthorn    R.     Smooth   Vari-   White 8     Good  Variable    umbellata       able          (10° F.)    Yedda    Hawthorn    R. ×           Variable Vari-   Lt.-  8     Poor- 4 × 6    delacourii      able    Pink  (10° F.)                                        Good  [feet]    Hybrid                  White    R. ×           Elliptic-                    2.2 ×                            Lt.   7b    Excel-                                              6 × 8    delacourii           obovate  0.8     Pink  (5° F.)                                        lent  [feet]    `Eskimo`           Smooth   [inches]    R. ×           Lightly  2.3 ×                            Lt.   7b    Excel-                                              2.5 × 3    delacourii           serrated 1.6     Pink  (5° F.)                                        lent  [feet]    `Georgia           Obovate  [inches]    Petite`    R. ×           Distally 2.0 ×                            White 7b    Excel-                                              4 × 5    delacourii           serrated 0.8           (5° F.)                                        lent  [feet]    `Georgia           Elliptic-                    [inches]    Charm` obovate    ______________________________________     *Excerpted from landscape plantings and laboratory freeze tests; USDA     Plant Hardiness Zones.     **Excerpted from replicated field tests interplanted with infected     susceptible species for inoculation.

The cultivar `Georgia Petite` is an evergreen shrub which typicallymatures at aproximately 2.5 feet in height with a rounded canopy,spreading to approximately 3.3 feet in width. Branching is very compact,leading to the low stature of the plant, and flowering is precocious.Growth is vigorous prior to maturity and moderately slow thereafter.When grown in partial shade locations, plant measurements increase by 8to 10 inches, but plant canopy remains very desirable and floweringremains precocious. Its flowers are light pink (R.H.S. Color 56D) fadingto white at maturity with stamen color typical of the parent species.The flowers appear for two to three weeks during middle to late April innorthern Georgia, although the exact flowering period is dependent onweather conditions. Flowering occurs in the first year. The leaves aredark green with light green underside and serrate margins. The leafshape is obovate and rounded at the apex, measuring approximately 2.3inches×1.6 inches. New growth is whorled on stems with five to six newbranches approximately two inches in length. The internode length isapproximately 0.75 to 1.0 inches. Five to six leaves originate justbelow each terminal stem bud. The terminal stem buds are dark purplishin color. Bark on current season's growth is greenish-brown and changesto grey-brown during the second year. Clusters of bluish-black fruits(R.H.S. Color 103A) are approximately one centimeter in diameter andpersist from summer into winter. The fruits are not significntlydifferent from those of either parent but due to the compact habit ofleaf and stem arrangement, the fruits are inconspicuous.

`Georgia Petite` showed no symptoms of leafspot during replicated fieldtests when interplanted with infected susceptible species (redtippedphotinia and cleyra) for inoculation, which makes it significantlydistinct from most other commercially available cultivars of thisspecies. The cold tolerance is significantly improved, thus extendingthe adaptbility range of this species northward to the piedmont areas ofthe southeastern United States (USDA Hardiness Zone 7b). The traits ofthe dwarf habit, the cold tolerance, and the strong resistance toleafspot disease make this a unique selection in the species and a goodcompanion plant for the landscape designer's plant palettes indeveloping environmental plantings located in USDA climactic zones 7b to10.

I claim:
 1. The new distinct plant cultivar of Rhaphiolepis×delacouriiAndre, substantially as herein shown and described.